Get this email in your inbox every Monday morning
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Issue 18 - August 11th 2014
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Despite the continuing heatwave, this week's email has a winter chill factor as I am showing you a simple Christmas card idea with the Chocolate Baroque Christmas stamps that have just been launched.
I think this is one of those cards that has big impact for not too much effort and it can definitely be produced in batches which is also useful for Christmas.
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 I have chosen a vintage bauble shape, but this works equally well with a simple circle or scalloped circle to create a bauble look.
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 Choose a card size that is slightly smaller than the background stamp and you don't have to trim or cut any layers - a great time saver for batch cards.
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Stamp onto the folded card with your chosen colour. It's easy to create a few in one go.
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 Place your die on the card centrally. Use a centering ruler to help and when it is in place, hold down the die with a couple of small pieces of masking tape.
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 Remember to unfold the card before running through your die cutter unless you want a hole in both sides!
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The bauble that you cut out can be used on another card.
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 Swirl a dye ink over the card front in a toning colour with a large stencil brush.
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 While colouring the card front, you can take advantage of the bauble shaped hole and stencil a bauble shape onto another card.
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Cut two smaller dies from scraps of white card and emboss with one of the other Big Bold Background stamps. Use a paintbrush to flick off any stray unwanted powder.
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 Cut a strip of acetate and glue centrally to the back of one bauble. You can punch a hole and dangle the bauble with beading thread, but the acetate keeps it nice and flat.
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 Apply glue to the second bauble and stick the two together, sandwiching the acetate strip in the middle. Place under a flat weight to dry.
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Working on the inside of the card, position the bauble centrally in the opening and hold in place with masking tape. Glue the acetate strip down and remove the tape once the glue is dry.
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- While you have the stamps out, make up a batch of 6-10 cards in one go - it will be quicker than making six cards separately
- Make and assemble the small hanging baubles first so the glue can be drying while you are working on the cards
- Save time by doing a batch all in the same colour - saves cleaning between stamping
- Use the aperture as a stencil on a new card while colouring the card front with a stipple brush or sponge
- Save the bauble cut outs to use on another card, or use them as gift tags when wrapping your presents
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Without embellishments, these cards are very flat which should help keep postage costs down. If you are hand-delivering or don't mind the extra, they do look good with a bow or snowflake embellishment.
The card below doesn't have a hanging bauble. Instead I kept the card folded flat while I coloured the front, creating a bauble shape on the inside of the card. I've stamped a simple greeting onto the stencilled bauble and added a snowflake embellishment. If you want to use more than one colour, stick with a family of two or three close colours and pick out a selection of ribbon and embellishments in the same colour family before you start. When you come to finish the cards, you can mix and match, confident that everything will go together.
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This time round I have used a pear shaped die to create an aperture and left it open to show the greeting stamped inside. You can read how I created these cards on my blog, glendawaterworth.com. |
Materials used in this project are available online at
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 I originally ran this series in 2013 and this time round, I am using my own tutorials to inspire me to create a new piece of artwork to share with you each week. I love to create and I am also passionate about inspiring and enabling others to create too. I hope that this email gets your mojo working and you feel motivated to get into your crafty space and have a go.  PS - if your creation features Chocolate Baroque stamps, then why not share on our Facebook Group or our wonderful private forum. In both places you will find a wonderful community of like minded Chocolate Baroque fans.
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